The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) hosted its first Long-Term Care Provider Association Meeting of the year, covering updates on survey backlogs, regulatory changes, and key industry trends. ODH is prioritizing annual surveys for nursing homes (NHs) and residential care facilities (RCFs) in 2025, as significant backlogs remain. The average time since the last nursing home survey is 25 months, with 432 facilities overdue. Residential care facilities are averaging 22 months, with 156 overdue. To address these delays, ODH is increasing surveyor hiring, with eight new surveyors expected by the end of February and a target of 175 surveyors.
Several regulatory and rule changes are in progress. The OAC 3701-12 Certificate of Need (CON) update is nearing completion, with a 30-day public comment period beginning in February. Updates to the OAC 3701-62 Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) rule are also being finalized. Additionally, edits from Senate Bill 144 regarding the OAC 3701-18 Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP) are in process, with stakeholder meetings expected soon. Nursing home rules at OAC 3701-17 are currently moving through the JCARR process, and hospice regulation updates are anticipated by mid-to-late February.
The Long-Term Care Ombudsman program reported a 3.5% increase in complaints in Ohio for 2024, totaling 7,350. The program successfully resolved 92% of concerns. Top complaints for both nursing homes and residential care facilities involved autonomy, choice, rights, admission/discharge/transfer, and financial property. Additional concerns included dietary issues in nursing homes and environmental issues in RCFs. The Nursing Home Taskforce recommended shifting the satisfaction survey to an annual schedule instead of alternating resident and family surveys every two years. In response, the agency confirmed this change, ensuring both surveys are conducted each year. Additionally, efforts are underway to enhance the short-term stay survey, with Scripps exploring more efficient methods to provide timely results to providers. The family survey is set to launch in June.
The meeting also addressed several pressing provider concerns. CHOPs (Change of Operator Process) remain a significant issue, with over 50 CHOPs occurring in December. Delays have been reported due to incomplete applications that must be sent back to the provider. ODH emphasized that interrupted surveys should remain rare, as surveyor schedules are managed by the department. Similarly, the expansion of complaint surveys beyond their original scope should not be a frequent occurrence. Integrating complaint surveys into standard surveys is expected to help mitigate these issues. Additionally, surveyors should rarely need to return to a facility after completing the exit process.
LeadingAge Ohio encourages members to reach out if they experience any of these circumstances.
ODH shared some emerging concerns including resident complaints about difficulty re-entering buildings, heating issues, and limited water access due to the low temperatures. ODH brought up residents' right to privacy after being informed that facility staff have been wearing smart glasses, raising concerns about potential privacy violations. Additionally, surveyors have been asked to sign attestation statements by the facility which they are not required to do.